Richard Exell

Yesterday the quarterly statistics for the Young Person’s Guarantee underlined its tremendous promise. This programme – abolished by the Coalition in its first week – includes training places and a work experience programme, but the best-known element is the Future Jobs Fund. We had great hopes for the FJF, which was the type of programme we have been advocating for 30 years, but the new government announced that it was “ineffective” (at a point when it was only just getting up to speed, and it was impossible to make such a judgement.) Perhaps they might, even at this late date, change their mind in view of the DWP/ONS figures showing that, up to the end of May 2010 there had been 40,720 starts to Future Jobs Fund placements. In addition, there were 11,890 starts on training provided under the YPG. The FJF was well on its way to providing real hope for tens of thousands of young people.